Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Auld Alliance Whisky Bar Singapore

By Nonjatta contributor - Dramtastic:

Opened January 2011, The Auld Alliance is a purpose-built Whisky Bar located at CHIJMES, a historical landmark in the heart of Singapore's city area restored and converted to house restaurants and bars and located diagonally across from Raffles Hotel and, as fortune would have it, my digs at the Carlton.

With 1000+ whiskies in stock it's a whisky enthusiasts wet dream. Of special interest to Nonjatta readers is that the range includes around 140-150 Japanese whiskies (some are not on display). How about around 40 Karuizawa from '67 onwards for starters, a range you will not see even in Japan? Also a great selection of Ichiro's Card Series and Single/Vintage Casks from the majors, Yoichi/Miyagikyo/Yamazaki/Hakushu as well as plenty of standards. By my reckoning all this makes this the second best place to try Japanese whisky in the world, with only Shot Bar Zoetrope Tokyo matching the quality and exceeding the number of bottles.

The thing that makes this place even more special though is the owner Emmanuel Dron. Emmanuel had around 15 years experience in other areas of the whisky biz before opening The Auld Alliance. A man of egalitarian beliefs when it comes to whisky, he is just as likely to recommend an old Irish whiskey (one of his specialties) or quality Japanese whisky as something Scottish. He is incredibly open minded and enjoys all styles of whisky, which is great for recommendations. Emmanuel is a true gentlemen and incredibly approachable. He is always looking to update his offerings, so you'll never be bored at The Auld Alliance. He showed me 2 Glenfarclas that he had found that even old hands at Glenfarclas did not recognise.

On my first night of two at The Auld Alliance Emmanuel and I ended up at a Japanese joint (food/bar) in another part of town that he goes to and enjoyed a few Japanese whisky rarities. He's that type of person with a true passion for whisky. For those interested in pricing, Emmanuel's policy is to price the menu commensurate with what he has paid for a particular bottle. If he didn't pay a lot, even if it's rare, he doesn't charge a lot. Sounds fair to me. I can't recommend The Auld Alliance highly enough.

Whisky Bars Kyoto

A few Links

Introduction

This site is probably the most comprehensive source on the Japanese whisky scene in English. It is also independent. No one who writes for Nonjatta is employed or paid by Japanese distillers and/or retailers.